Kui Tree - by Momi Jones |
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| ʻO ka leo aloha i kono mai iaʻu ea lā Kuahiwi nani i kaʻu ʻike ʻana mai e ō Me kou leo la nahenahe mai E hoʻolauna malihini ʻO ka leo uʻi o nā manu i lohe ʻia lā Maliu pawa o ke kakahiaka eō Me ka lehua lā e moani nei He uʻi mai hoʻi kau ʻO ka wai inu o ka ʻAmelika ea lā Huʻihuʻi ʻoe he inu anei e ō Kahi wai la aniani lâ He ʻono ke momoni aku Haʻina mai ana ka puana ea lā Kuahiwi nani kau i ka hano e ō Me kou leo la nahenahe mai Haʻaheo Kui tree |
The voice of love invites me to See the beautiful mountains. Calling Is your sweet voice So friendly to the newcomer Hear the beautiful voices of the birds The intoxicating drink of the Americans Tell the refrain |
| Source: - After World War I, armed forces arrived to strengthen regiments stationed at Schofield Barracks. February, 1921, they were combined to form the Hawaiian division and greatly increased the population of Wahiawa. Water for Schofield was supplied by a spring on the slopes of the Waiʻanae Range but was not sufficient to support the ever increasing population. A reservoir was built in 1918, on the upper slopes, but this supply was still inadequate, especially during the dry seasons. Plans were made to build a dam, a spillway, and tunnel systems from the Koʻolau Range to a new reservoir. The federal government sent crews from Washington to visit the site and assist the local civil engineers with the plans. One of the engineers was interested in the plants and asked the name of a native tree. The local engineer drew a blank and in a thoughtless moment said, " Oh, that's a Kui tree". It was probably a Kuku`i tree and the name became a joke in locals circles. Eventually the name caught on and the structure became known as the Kui Dam. The composer’s father-in-law helped maintain the dam in the Koʻolau mountains on Oahʻu. When the composer and her husband were courting, they would sometimes rendezvous at Kui Tree Dam in the early morning. The chilly air may have caused them to imbibe on more than a few occasions. The song came to the composer in a dream and was written in 5 minutes. Translated by Kanani Mana | |